Barcelona boasts a handful of the top universities in Spain, including but not limited to the University of Barcelona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, and Pompeu Fabra University. There is a large international student demographic among these major schools, and a further benefit of earning your degree abroad in Barcelona is the sheer number of students you will interact with from all over the globe as part of your education.

While English-taught degree programs do exist in Barcelona, the door of opportunity will open much wider if you are able to speak Spanish (even though many locals in Barcelona speak Catalan as a first language, the education system still utilizes the national language). If you are accepted into a local university, some of the most popular fields where international students pursue their degrees abroad in Barcelona include Spanish, business, sociology, art history, and European studies. The choice beyond this is entirely yours!

International students travel to earn their degree abroad in Barcelona both at the undergraduate and graduate level; the former typically requiring three or four years of study for a Bachelor’s degree, and the latter requiring one or two for a Master’s. Spanish universities do not have a common application system, meaning that each school you look at may ask for different requirements of foreign students. A language and/or other entrance exam may be levied, for example.